Four WTAMU Students Selected for Prestigious Academic Opportunities

CANYON, Texas—There’s no doubt that students at West Texas A&M University continue to excel academically, and a prestigious fellowship, research experiences at the University of Cincinnati and Princeton and an international studies seminar are proof positive of that.

Jorge Granados, a graduate student in sports and exercise sciences from Dumas, Gabriel Miranda, a senior secondary science education major from Perryton, Sarah Morgeson, a senior physics major from Lubbock, and Olivia Trabysh, a junior English major from St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, have worked hard in their pursuit of academic excellence, and that hard work has been rewarded with some pretty impressive recognition. Their achievements in being selected for nationally competitive experiences is a reflection of the high standard of academic excellence found at WTAMU.

Pathways to the Doctorate Fellowship Jorge Granados is the recipient of an esteemed Texas A&M University (TAMU) Pathways to the Doctorate Fellowship. The $39,277 fellowship will help him complete his doctoral studies at the TAMU Department of Health and Kinesiology in College Station. During the first year of the fellowship, Granados will study and conduct research under the tutelage of Dr. Stephen F. Crouse in the Applied Exercise Physiology Lab. For his second year, Granados will have the option to continue studying with Crouse or to compete for a Space Life Sciences Fellowship through a collaborative agreement with NASA.

“This is very prestigious as TAMU only awards one fellowship to one outstanding doctoral applicant each year,” Dr. Matt Kuennen, assistant professor of sports and exercise sciences and faculty mentor, said. “We do not have many master’s candidates from the sports and exercise sciences department that go on to pursue their Ph.D. TAMU is an excellent program, and Jorge was awarded a top honor.”

While at WTAMU, Granados was a recipient of a President’s Undergraduate Summer Research grant and a Graduate Student Research Grant.

Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Gabriel Miranda will spend 10 weeks this summer at the University of Cincinnati as part of its Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research program. UC graduate student Clifford Cookman will mentor Miranda and his research on “The Effect of Estrogen on the Chemosensitivity of Medulloblastoma.”

The program runs June 2-Aug. 8 and will give Miranda an opportunity to work with advanced UC graduate students as well as interact with nationally-recognized faculty.

“Gabriel is a student who deserves this opportunity and the recognition of his academic accomplishments,” Mike Cook, director of the McNair Scholars program, said. “He immersed himself into his research last summer with the McNair Scholars program, and this opportunity will enhance his research and academic preparation for future graduate school studies. The selection process was very competitive, and it is quite an honor for Gabriel to be chosen. We are very proud of him.”

Research Experience for Undergraduates Program Sarah Morgeson is one of 15 students from across the country selected to participate in the nationally competitive Research Experience for Undergraduates Program June 8-Aug. 9 at Princeton University. She will work with Mikko Haataja, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials and the Princeton Center for Complex Materials.

Students in the program will have the opportunity to conduct research and participate in seminars and lectures on materials science and engineering. Morgeson’s focus during the summer will be research on theoretical and computational materials science.

“Sarah has an amazing opportunity to work closely with people in the forefront of the field," Dr. Cathy Clewett, assistant professor of physics, said.

Peace and Conflict Studies Seminar Olivia Trabysh will spend a good part of her summer looking at the sociopolitical causes of genocide in Rwanda and Uganda as a participant in the School for International Training Uganda and Rwanda: Peace and Conflict Studies Seminar. From June 9-July 27,

Trabysh will be engaged in the East African culture, living in rural villages and participating in the day-to-day life. She will participate in clinics, lectures, research and field visits to examine the causes of conflict and the challenges to the current resettlement efforts. The trip will give her the opportunity to visit the Rwanda Genocide Memorial, the mass execution sites of Ntarama and Nyamata and refugee camps in Northern Uganda.

“Ultimately this study abroad opportunity will enhance my applications to competitive graduate programs in the field of social psychology and peace conflict studies, but I am more excited for the growth this program will ignite in me as an individual,” Trabysh said.

WTAMU is committed to academic excellence and offers a variety of programs, services and facilities geared toward a goal of student success that allow students like Granados, Miranda, Morgeson and Trabysh to compete nationally for prestigious awards, fellowships and other academic experiences.